Architecture and Affect: Precarious Spaces

by Lilian Chee

Architecture and Affect is motivated by two Why does dismissed affective evidence trouble us? What would it mean for architecture to assemble such discrepant evidence into its discourse? Arguing that the persistent refrains of lived affect dwell in architecture, this book traces such refrains to a concept of architecture wedged in the middle ground―jammed amidst life, things and events. Rather than being aloof from its surrounds, architecture-in-the-midst challenges an autonomous epistemology. Beyond accounting for the vivid but excluded, this book develops a frame and a disposition for thinking critically about, speculatively through, and being grounded by, encounter. Examining affect through a constellation of spaces in contemporary Singapore, it details architecture’s uneasy but inextricable relationship with key subjects relegated to the incommensurate, the peripheral, the scenic and the decorative. The outcome is a politicized architectural discourse simultaneously grounded and speculative; bridging depth and intuition, thinking and feeling.

366 pages, Paperback

Published November 28, 2024

Reviews

[Jess Rodrigez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating read, would recommend.

[Derreck Cladsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable book

[Janani Guranshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blend of academia and personal introspection, this book seamlessly delves into the profound connection between affect and architecture. Would definitely recommend.

[Loh Ching · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a highly enlightening book. Recommended for those interested in optimizing spaces.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. A timely and intriguing study into the connection between affect and spatial meaning.
Skillfully combines academic writing, personal reflection and beautiful drawings in a genre defying work.